Saturday, January 31, 2009

According to ZDNet, computer giant Apple is working on a very powerful new iPhone that could hit stores later this year.

The new phone, currently about as powerful as Sony's excellent PlayStation Portable, would be more than twice as powerful, capable of rendering graphics – and games – better than anything before it in the portable gaming world.

And unlike the PSP or Nintendo DS, the iPhone allows gamers to download games via Apple's App Store, which users can access wirelessly or on their computer.

Currently, the games on iPhone are pretty good, but not very complex. The phone, in a sense, can act as a joystick. You can tilt it to control on-screen action. Racing games come off especially well – while holding it horizontally, the phone becomes like a steering wheel and creates a very realistic playing experience.

Some games I've seen add a little directional control on the touch-screen pad, similar to the one you would use playing a traditional handheld or console game. So far, I've found those to be rather clunky, and I'm not sure if you could (or would want to) try to play, say, a sports game – or anything that requires a lot of button presses – on the iPhone.

But you can buy mainstream games for the iPhone right now for as little as $9.99, and they can be ready to play within seconds. The delivery is faster and the games cost about three times less than most PSP and DS titles.

It'll be interesting to see where this goes. Apple needs to update the iPhone, adding things like cut-and-paste, multimedia instant messaging, and a QWERTY keyboard that works in landscape mode (to make typing e-mails easier). Battery life is also an issue. But with those fixes and a more-powerful gaming core, many might be willing to make the switch.

‘Guitar Hero: Metallica' arriving soon

Activision's “Guitar Hero: Metallica” hits stores this spring with more than 45 songs from the band's history, including tracks from every studio album it's ever recorded. The game will also feature artists selected by the band to be in the game, like Queen, Foo Fighters, Bob Seger and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Socially conscious video games

Advanced Micro Devices, a next-gen computer company, has created a new suite of socially conscious games about the environment, energy consumption, poverty and health. The free kit is at http://gamesforchange.org/toolkit. The company, which is targeting 13- to 18-year-olds, is hoping to inspire young people to do more with video games than destroy monsters or outrace virtual cars.

It's not the blood, it's the challenge

A University of Rochester psychology study shows that it's the challenge games provide, not the carnage, that makes gaming entertaining. The study by Rochester's Immersyve Inc. found that gore detracts from a game's fun factor. More than 2,500 gamers were surveyed.

4 comments:

Clayj
said...

Look, I love my iPhone. And I agree that on paper it is more powerful than a Sony PSP. But there is one reason why I will never use my iPhone as a gaming device: The utter lack of physical buttons. Touchscreens and accelerometers are no substitute for an array of buttons and an actual joystick. I'll use my iPhone for practically everything else, but not for games.

I love my iphone and I love the games too! Who needs a joystick when you can tilt or use your fingers to shoot, wack, or draw your way through a game. Now I wouldn't pay $9.99 to play a complicated war type game on such a small screen, but the lower priced and free apps are great. Some games are surprisingly detailed and a little more complex than expected for a free game. Also, you can't beat the convenience, you have to carry it as a phone anyways, so it's the handiest gaming system around!

About this blog

Langston Wertz Jr. has been an Observer reporter since1988. He has reviewed video games and tech equipment for more than 10 years. Favorite game? Madden football. Favorite geek gear? Anything audio-visual.